Confused about Windows 10

LukeyKid

I seen a couple of articles about windows 10, And i don't know if i'm reading it wrong but if you have a genuine copy of windows 7, 8, 8.1 you get a free upgrade to windows 10.

I understand that much but there is apart about you only get this free for one year after the launch ?
No this to me makes no sense, if i'm reading it correctly of course, why is it only free for a year ? and what is the point of upgrading to it if your still going to be made pay ?

I still don't see this OP being anything special i used the preview i didn't think it was great, It still has a lot of windows 8 features i don't like.

Skatedude

Think it means you have a year from win 10's release date to upgrade for free and it's yours forever.
if you wait more than a year to upgrade, then you have to pay

yoyo

LukeyKid wrote: »

I seen a couple of articles about windows 10, And i don't know if i'm reading it wrong but if you have a genuine copy of windows 7, 8, 8.1 you get a free upgrade to windows 10.

I understand that much but there is apart about you only get this free for one year after the launch ?
No this to me makes no sense, if i'm reading it correctly of course, why is it only free for a year ? and what is the point of upgrading to it if your still going to be made pay ?

I still don't see this OP being anything special i used the preview i didn't think it was great, It still has a lot of windows 8 features i don't like.

My understanding is that it is permanently free provided you upgrade within the year. Free as in you register with Microsoft using your 7/8/8.1 product key and they give you a key for 10 is possibly how it will work.
No one really knows for certain though until it goes RTM which is around June I think?
Going to move this thread over to the Windows forum where it's better suited!

Nick

Cuddlesworth

For the first year you get to upgrade for free, eg they don't charge you when the year is up.

Overheal

Explicitly, Windows 10 will be available as a free download to Any version - Legitimate or Pirated - of Windows 7 and 8.1. The free period to CLAIM YOUR UPGRADE will be 1 YEAR FROM THE RELEASE OF WINDOWS 10. After this period (eg. Summer 2016), Microsoft will presumably update the selling model with some type of pay barrier.

What this means: Retailers and Manufacturers, who have been experiencing slumped PC sales for several years, will have an opportunity to clear their backlog, as all inventory is now effectively Windows 10. And during the next year, all of the latest and greatest machines will, obviously, ship with Windows 10 anyway. The only person this deal might have hurt was PC Builders - who can either now use an old copy of Windows, or hell, just Pirate it - and their next PC rig will have Windows 10 for free. Net result: PC Hardware sales shoot up. Everyone wins.

The catch?: With almost no shadow of doubt, Microsoft is shifting it's entire company model. Their Operating System will not be what makes money. Like iOS, Mac OSX, and Android, etc, Windows will be a free Operating System, as it's the most expensive (ie. not ****ing free) consumer operating system. Microsoft will likely receive their revenue stream from their numerous and growing subscription services - like Azure Cloud, OneDrive, Xbox Live, and Office Live. While, for instance, basic Office and OneDrive services are already free - simply called Office Online, you get basic Microsot Office use via web browser, and 15GB of Cloud storage. And even my super geeky, talented, computer wizard Mac friends agree Microsoft is a market leader when it comes to an elegant cloud solution - your 15GB will be accessible, natively and fluidly, from your Phone, Tablets, Consoles, Desktops, and Laptops. If you need more space beyond your basic document and photo needs across devices, or more features, there is a subscription for that.

BOTTOM LINE: AS LONG AS YOU UPGRADE TO WINDOWS 10 BEFORE FALL 2016, It will be yours to keep Permanently on whichever Devices/Licenses you upgrade with.

LukeyKid

Ah okay thanks guys

Saipanne

Nice one. I'm about to make a purchase and was worried about whether to wait for Windows 10. Seems there is no need to wait.

Fysh

An important thing to bear in mind - if you've got pirated Windows 7/8.1, you'll be able to upgrade but still won't have a valid licence. This means you'll still see messages about Windows not being genuine, and IIRC after a period of time your system will shut down automatically after an hour of uage. Perhaps most crucially, Microsoft recently announced that non-licenced installs will only get security updates through Windows Update, not any functionality enhancements or optional updates.

It wouldn't surprise me if, given how Office365 is doing, we see a Windows 365 in the next few years. Given the comparison with Android, which has precisely no security fix backporting and a high level of enforced obsolescence for devices because each major release of Android is built with an assumption that devices running it have been released within the last 12 months or so, I think that the ability to keep Windows-based devices current over the entire device lifespan would be potentially worth the subscription.

LukeyKid

Fysh wrote: »

An important thing to bear in mind - if you've got pirated Windows 7/8.1, you'll be able to upgrade but still won't have a valid licence. This means you'll still see messages about Windows not being genuine, and IIRC after a period of time your system will shut down automatically after an hour of uage. Perhaps most crucially, Microsoft recently announced that non-licenced installs will only get security updates through Windows Update, not any functionality enhancements or optional updates.

It wouldn't surprise me if, given how Office365 is doing, we see a Windows 365 in the next few years. Given the comparison with Android, which has precisely no security fix backporting and a high level of enforced obsolescence for devices because each major release of Android is built with an assumption that devices running it have been released within the last 12 months or so, I think that the ability to keep Windows-based devices current over the entire device lifespan would be potentially worth the subscription.

Yeah i already had a read up about that :L its all good mines genuine xD

colossus-x

Fysh wrote: »

An important thing to bear in mind - if you've got pirated Windows 7/8.1, you'll be able to upgrade but still won't have a valid licence. .

If that's true ( not that i doubt u ) then whats the difference between:

A windows 10 upgrade from a pirated windows 7

and

A pirated windows 10 fresh install

from a licence perspective ! ?

Fysh

colossus-x wrote: »

If that's true ( not that i doubt u ) then whats the difference between:

A windows 10 upgrade from a pirated windows 7

and

A pirated windows 10 fresh install

from a licence perspective ! ?

From a licence perspective, no difference. Unless Microsoft require Windows 10 installations to be linked to a Microsoft account, in which case your MS account would be linked to a machine flagged as having an invalid licence...

unkel

Overheal wrote: »

Microsoft will likely receive their revenue stream from their numerous and growing subscription services

I read a few years ago that Microsoft already had over 10 completely separate revenue streams of over $1 billion each. Like you say, the lost income from Windows licenses is likely to be replaced by increased income from other streams

I predict Windows 10 being completely free for home users to install from scratch (even after the year is over) and I predict even pirated installs of Windows 7 becoming activated & legal Windows 10 installs after the upgrade (as well as upgrades to RTM Windows 10 from TP Windows 10)

A bold + clever move from Nadella: make Windows the best OS out there and then give it away for free on any kind of device (phone, tablet, netbook, laptop, PC)

AlmightyCushion

unkel wrote: »

I read a few years ago that Microsoft already had over 10 completely separate revenue streams of over $1 billion each. Like you say, the lost income from Windows licenses is likely to be replaced by increased income from other streams

I predict Windows 10 being completely free for home users to install from scratch (even after the year is over) and I predict even pirated installs of Windows 7 becoming activated & legal Windows 10 installs after the upgrade (as well as upgrades to RTM Windows 10 from TP Windows 10)

A bold + clever move from Nadella: make Windows the best OS out there and then give it away for free on any kind of device (phone, tablet, netbook, laptop, PC)

I don't think they'll make it completely free for home users. OEMs paying for licenses won't be happy about that. What might happen is that a pirated version of 7 or 9 will upgrade to 10 and activate fine including downloading updates but the license won't be legit. Retail and upgrade copies probably aren't a huge revenue stream compared to OEM and enterprise licenses so they won't mind losing it or minimising it to get widescale adoption.

unkel

AlmightyCushion wrote: »

I don't think they'll make it completely free for home users. OEMs paying for licenses won't be happy about that.

I predict OEMs won't have to pay for licenses either

A small hint in this direction was that OEMs don't have to pay anymore for Windows 8.1 licenses for devices smaller than 8"

Vandango

Quick question, will the Windows 10 upgrade depend on what current version of Windows you're using? I'm using Windows 7 Ultimate, so will the free upgrade be to a similar variant, or is the free upgrade a bog standard version of Windows 10 that's given to everyone?

Vandango

Vandango wrote: »

Quick question, will the Windows 10 upgrade depend on what current version of Windows you're using? I'm using Windows 7 Ultimate, so will the free upgrade be to a similar variant, or is the free upgrade a bog standard version of Windows 10 that's given to everyone?

* Bump *

Can anyone help with my above query?

Fysh

Vandango wrote: »

* Bump *

Can anyone help with my above query?

I don't think it's been announced.

One thing to keep in mind is that (with one exception) it was never possible in the past to upgrade to a lower SKU than your current version - e.g. you couldn't upgrade Windows 2000 Professional to XP Home or Windows Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Professional. The exception was 7 Ultimate to 8 Pro (because there was no Ultimate version of 8).

So I'd guess that the free upgrade will be the same SKU, but it hasn't been confirmed.